The UN’s top humanitarian organisations urged the Security Council on Wednesday to extend Syria's cross-border aid mechanism for 12 months instead of six, days before the current period expires.
The current Security Council resolution on cross-border assistance in Syria is due to lapse on July 10.
A joint statement signed by the heads of seven UN humanitarian and health organisations said that a 12-month extension would ensure humanitarian aid continues to reach people in “desperate need effectively and without delays”.
“This pipeline is more important than ever. Every month, it allows the United Nations and our partners to reach 2.7 million people with medicines, safe water, food, shelter supplies and protection services from across the border,” the statement said.
The Security Council initially authorised aid deliveries in 2014 into opposition-held areas of Syria from Iraq, Jordan and two points in Turkey.
But Russia has insisted on the reduction of UN-permitted aid border crossings into Syria from four to one – Bab Al Hawa – and cut the time frame for the mechanism's renewal from a year to six months.
Following a devastating earthquake on February 6, the UN reached an agreement with Damascus to establish two additional border crossings from Turkey, Bab Al Salam and Al Rai.
Initially granted for a three-month period, the access was later extended in May for another three months.
“Russia's cynical politicisation of the cross-border mechanism has narrowed the temporal and geographic scope of the resolution to allow the use of only a single border crossing since 2020, undermining the delivery of life-saving aid at a time when the impact of the recent earthquakes on civilians has been catastrophic,” said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Both the Russian government and the Syrian regime have said UN aid should be channelled through Damascus to opposition-controlled areas, but the UN says such aid “cannot match the scale or scope of cross-border operations”.
“If the UN Security Council fails to authorise cross-border aid or the Syrian President withholds his consent, the UN and its humanitarian should consider alternatives to ensure that desperate Syrians get the life-saving assistance they're entitled to,” Louis Charbonneau, the UN director at Human Rights Watch, told The National.
The UK's ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward, who is presiding over the Security Council for the month of July, told reporters last week that the body “has a duty to do the right thing to open more border crossings for longer periods of time”.
“And to be frank, if it were up to us alone, this would mean at least three border crossings for at least 12 months,” she said.
“I think the important thing to remember here is, this should not be a political bargaining chip. This is simply about humanitarian aid access and aid access alone.”
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
Company%20Profile
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Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
